Pemberton fails to hold off Camden in South Jersey Group 2 final

Pemberton's Antoine Wilson brings the ball up against the court against Camden's Rasool Hinson. (For The Trentonian/John Blaine)

PEMBERTON — The Pemberton boys basketball team never gave up, even when they were down double-digits in the final quarter. That mentality was good enough to get them within two points with 10 seconds remaining in the game, but they were never able to tie it up.

“I was extremely proud because it was very easy to fold and just say it’s a 15-point loss, lets go home, the season is over,” Hornets head coach Roy Heck said. “We scrapped, we fought and I’m extremely proud.”

Javion Ivory missed a long 2-pointer for the tie and Jaquan Pitts came up short after grabbing the rebound. Camden’s Rasool Hinson made his two free throws with three second left to give the Panthers a 71-67 win in the South Jersey Group II final at Pemberton.

The Hornets’ (24-4) Shaun Brooks scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to keep his squad in the game.

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“Shaun has been scoring a lot of points for us all year,” Heck said. “He’s been rebounding well and blocking shots.”

Camden going 6 of 17 from the free throw line in the final eight minutes also helped Pemberton’s comeback.

It may be a basket that Brooks didn’t score that swung the momentum of this game in the fourth. He threw down a one-handed dunk with contact that brought the maximum-capacity crowd to its feet. The contact, however, was a player control foul called against Brooks and Camden took over.

On the Panthers’ (21-9) ensuing possession, Jamil Maddred hit a three to give his team a 57-50 lead that would eventually balloon to 61-50.

“After that charge call, it definitely changed the momentum,” Heck said. “I think if that charge is not called, we have a lot of momentum.”

Ivory scored a game-high 25 points for Pemberton, and was joined in double-figures by Brooks, Pitts and Antoine Wilson, the latter two scoring 10 apiece.

Camden’s scoring throughout was very balanced. Jamal Halloway led the way with 18 points, Brad Hawkins had 17, Tavaris Headen 16 and Hinson 14.

The teams traded 6-0 runs late in the third and were tied at 47 with 1:02 until the final quarter. Hinson made a three for the Panthers, followed by a Hawkins layup, to take a 52-47 lead to the fourth.

Neither team could establish much of an advantage in the first half. Pemberton entered the break ahead by two points, 31-29, when a Camden putback was a tenth-of-a-second late at the buzzer.

Despite losing the sectional final, it was a successful year for Pemberton.

“I told the guys that the bond they created – the 12 guys that were in this locker room – they will remember that for the rest of their life,” Heck said. “And that’s something that a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to share and we did.”